World’s 50 Best Restaurants: How Did Asia Do?

Yoshihiro Narisawa, the Tokyo chef of Les Creations de Narisawa, poses for pictures at the awards ceremony at the S. Pellegrino Worlds 50 Best Restaurant in London on Monday.

The Worlds 50 Best Restaurant 2014 and William Reed Business Media

While René Redzepi’s Noma restaurant reclaimed its title as the top spot at the unveiling of the annual S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the culinary world’s version of the Oscars, how did Asia’s top chefs fare?

In all, eight restaurants from Asia and Australia made the top 50, down from nine in the previous year. Most of those who made the list moved up on the ranking, while the list shut out two major culinary centers: China and India.

Nahm, the region’s top restaurant which serves traditional Thai cuisine in Bangkok by Australian chef David Thompson, moved to No. 13, up 19 places from last year’s list. Meanwhile, Les Creations de Narisawa, a Tokyo mainstay on the list in recent years with it sophisticated Japanese-French hybrid cuisine, came in at No. 14, up from last year’s No. 20. Narisawa, led by Yoshihiro Narisawa, was the top-ranked Asian restaurant on the list in 2012 and 2013.

Gaggan, a Bangkok restaurant by Gaggan Anand that marries molecular gastronomy techniques with Indian food, made its debut on the list at No. 17. The restaurant was given “highest new entry award” for its showing.

Amber, Hong Kong’s top French spot led by Richard Ekkebus, came in at No. 24, up 12 spots from 2013. And Attica, the lone representative from Australia, ranked 32nd, down from its No. 21 debut in 2013.

Singapore boasted two on the list: Restaurant Andre at No. 37 (up from No. 38 last year) and Waku Ghin re-entered the list at No. 50.

The order of appearance of Asia’s top restaurants wasn’t a surprise – already, the spinoff Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant list was revealed in February and placed Nahm on the top of its region. But the global list wasn’t revealed until Monday evening in London at a red-carpet event that brought the 50 chefs together for a big party and unveiling.

For the culinary world, the annual unveiling of the list is the biggest event on the foodie calendar and a mention on the list will boost business and prestige. Organized by U.K-based “Restaurant” magazine since 2004, the list is created annually from the votes of over 936 chefs, food writers and other culinary insiders separated into 26 separate regions. Each region has 36 members, who each cast seven votes. At least three votes must be outside of the member’s own region.

Long criticized for its bias towards Europe and the U.S., the list remains dominated by restaurants in the West. Noma unseated last year’s top-ranked El Celler de Can Roca from Spain, which fell to second place. Osteria Francescana in Italy ranked third, followed by U.S. restaurants Eleven Madison Park and Coi. The highest-ranking restaurant outside of Europe or the U.S. was seventh-ranked D.O.M., in São Paulo, Brazil.

Asia’s restaurants are gaining representation, but China and India were shut out of this year’s ranking. Mr. & Mrs. Bund, a French restaurant headed by Paul Pairet in Shanghai, was No. 43 in 2013, but didn’t make the 2014 list. No Indian restaurant has appeared on the list since 2006. And never has a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine cracked the top 50.